Klassy kruiser

As Germany’s economy improved in the 1950s, so did the country’s demand for larger and more comfortable cars. Volkswagen was very much aware of this fact, which is why the Type 3 line of cars was developed to complement the smaller, and still very successful, Beetle.

The public had its first opportunity to discover a group of these newfangled Type 3s during Frankfurt, Germany’s Internationale Automobil-Austellung (International Automobile Exhibition) in September 1961. The ‘three-box’ Notchback and the estate / station wagon Squareback (remember, the sportier Fastback didn’t join the group until the ’66 model year) were pretty sedate looking affairs, but all eyes were on the new Type 34 Karmann Ghia.

Designed by Carrozzeria Ghia, the Type 34 had bold, distinctive lines compared to the rest of the Type 3 range, but was it perhaps too bold for its time? It certainly couldn’t qualify as a commercial success, considering only 42,505 units were produced